Survey Says You'll Save 4 Days Per Year When Using GPS

Own a personal navigation device? Use the GPS on your phone? If you're
reading this now, the answer is probably "yes." If you're an avid
navigation user, you probably understand the benefits quite well.
Rather than having to write down directions to facilities, you simply
find the address, plug it in and follow the kind lady on the other end.
But have you ever wondered just how much time you save each year by
following the GPS?

According to a new research study from NAVTEQ, the company responsible
for the maps found on a whole slew of GPS devices, the average user can
save around four days per year by using a navigation unit. Four days!
The study focused on time savings based on the impact that the addition
of real-time traffic has on the driver
experience, and pointed to the use of traffic information as a primary
influencer in time savings for the average driver.

The results are from a three pronged study conducted in two
metropolitan areas of Germany: Dusseldorf and Munich, both of which see
their fair share of automobile traffic. The research looked at drivers
with and without GPS systems as well as drivers using navigation
systems with real-time traffic. The study revealed that the drivers
using traffic enabled navigation
devices experienced dramatic time savings, spending 18% less time
driving on an average trip versus drivers without navigation. When
blown out for a full year, that amounts to around four days of savings,
which certainly isn't anything to scoff at in the grand scheme of
things.

Additionally, the findings show that drivers with real-time traffic
experience reductions in distance traveled as well as increase fuel
efficiency which would lead to a decrease in CO2 emissions per driver
of .79 metric tons, or 21% less than a driver without a navigation
system. The participants, who had not previously owned a navigation device, had
their vehicles outfitted with a logging device which was used to track
the route they drove and their driving speed. The study results reflect
more than 2,100 individual trips, more than 20,000 kilometers and
almost 500 hours on the road.

From our personal experiences, we can definitely say that GPS units
have saved us a bundle of time on the road, and real-time traffic
definitely keeps us away from those traffic jams whenever interstates
get jammed up. Now though, we can definitely say that we'll be using
our GPS units with time savings on the brain.